In 2025, the tech industry is evolving rapidly, with AI in tech careers becoming a key driver of change. Employers must adapt by offering AI skills training to build a future-ready workforce and retain top talent. Based on insights from 30,000 professionals, Akkodis has identified key AI workforce trends 2025 to help businesses shape their hiring and training strategies.

What Today’s Worker Really Wants in the AI-Powered Workforce

There are two big concerns among tech workers heading into the new year – economic climate and job security. The good news – more workers are staying put in their jobs, but AI’s impact on stability has been underestimated over the last 12 months and employees are looking for guidance. The majority of workers (71%) are willing to be flexible and adaptable to changing environments, such as the rise of AI in the workplace. However, less than half polled (46%) have confidence in their leaders’ AI skills and knowledge and only 27% of workers say their employer has provided guidance and/or policy on how to use AI.

Less than half polled (46%) have confidence in their leaders’ AI skills and knowledge, and only 27% of workers say their employer has provided guidance and/or policy on how to use AI.

AI Skills & Career Growth: A Must for Future-Ready Workers

• Many professionals hesitate to adopt AI due to a lack of training.
• Career progression and skills development are now top priorities for tech workers.
• Only 11% of surveyed employees qualify as “future-ready” – adaptable, proactive, and open to career flexibility.
• A common factor among 93% of future-ready workers? Their employer provided a personalized development plan.
• Companies investing in upskilling see improved workforce performance and leadership growth.

Salary & Flexibility: Key Factors in Job Decisions

• Salary remains a top motivator for job changes – and tech workers know their worth.
• 68% of employees understand their market value and expect fair compensation.
• AI and data skills boost demand, increasing workers’ negotiating power.

• Flexible work is crucial:
  • 63% of employees say reducing flexible hours would negatively impact health and well-being.
  • Top flexibility priorities: taking vacations when they choose (38%), selecting working hours (30%), and remote work (30%).

Investing in skills and flexibility isn’t just a perk—it’s a competitive advantage in 2025’s evolving job market.

AI and the Augmented Workforce

2025 marks the rise of the augmented workforce, where AI and human talent collaborate to boost productivity.

AI in the Workplace:

• 36% of tech workers interact with humanoid robots daily.
• 30% work alongside AI occasionally, while 26% do so weekly.

AI Won’t Replace Workers—But Skills Matter:

• The biggest misconception? AI will replace human jobs.
• Reality: AI enhances roles, but those who master AI tools will have a competitive edge.
• Human-AI collaboration is now essential for business success.

The future belongs to those who adapt—leveraging AI will set top talent apart!

Mental Health and Burnout

There is so much change happening in the workplace that looking after employees’ mental health should be a priority for companies. In last year’s survey, we learned one in four reported feeling burnout from working too hard.

This year, that number rose significantly to nearly half. Employers should also do more to address fears that AI will advantage certain worker groups – and they can do this by showing they are committed to inclusion and sustainable working practices.

We learned that 62% of tech workers concerned about the impact of AI have felt burnout in the past 12 months. The good news – the majority of tech workers (72%) say their employer supports completely (or to some extent) the creation of a culture of trust where people feel safe to express themselves.

Mega Trends Shaping the Future

Over the past year, tech workers have gained more experience using AI and 73% said it has made them more productive. They are also able to better articulate the impact and benefits. Workers report saving one hour per day by using AI and nearly half (48%) say AI has made their job easier.

With that time saved, they are able to focus on other areas – such as checking work quality and accuracy (29%), more creative work (28%), and having a better work-life balance (27%) in the form of taking more breaks or working less overtime. Workers also feel more confident with the technology, with 70% proactively experimenting with different ways of using AI on the job.

Workers report saving one hour per day by using AI, and nearly half (48%) say AI has made their job easier.

However, more than half of tech workers have concerns that AI use could be unethical and/or discriminatory and want their employers to provide more training and encourage responsible ideation.

The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) is transforming tech companies, reshaping workflows, and enhancing productivity across the board. Nearly half (40%) of today’s tech workers say they use GenAI tools daily at work.

No one we polled said they never use GenAI, which means all tech workers are using it with some form of regularity. Top five uses of GenAI at work include research, content design/creation, summarizing documents, analyzing and processing data, and language translation.

Diversity and inclusion emerged as an area where tech workers want to play more of an active role. Nearly half (49%) said they want to do more to increase diversity and inclusion in their workplace, but they don’t know how. Only 55% said they’ve had training or received advice on it. The good news – 55% say their employer does a better job making people from all backgrounds feel safe at work compared to one year ago. However, there is opportunity for employers to expand the dialogue around diversity and inclusion so workers can be better involved.

AI-Powered Hiring: How Employers Can Attract Future-Ready Talent

As we look at the changes in the tech workforce over the past few months, it’s clear that evolving priorities like AI integration, flexibility and career development are shaping how companies attract and retain top talent.

Other salary resources were released earlier this year, but they are now outdated. We have refined our data retrieval process to create a precise resource with the newest and most accurate data in the marketplace heading into 2025.

Download our 2025 IT and Engineering Salary Guide today and use our actionable insights to fine-tune your strategic plan for the year ahead!

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